The strength of inter-cooperation, key for the future of the cooperative movement

With this year coming to an end, there are many conclusions and considerations we can already take from the past months. Co-operatives United compiled some of them in the event that marked the close of the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2012, at the place where the story of this movement started: Manchester (UK). For four days thousands of international participants took part at high-level meetings, events and exhibitions.

The Blueprint for a Cooperative Decade, the ICA strategy to make cooperatives the fastest growing business model by 2020, was discussed at the extraordinary General Assembly where CICOPA president and vice president of CECOP, Manuel Mariscal, emphasized the need for the Cooperative Decade to be outward looking towards the rest of society and the need for inter-cooperation, underlining the need for much more inter-cooperation, “including working with the sectoral organisations, if the cooperative decade is to be a success”. These points will be reportedly integrated in a final version of the text.

The documentary: “Together. How cooperatives show resilience to the crisis”, produced by CECOP, was screened on 1st November followed by an enthusiastic debate conducted by CECOP Secretary General, Bruno Roelants where around 60 persons took part, essentially from the Americas and Europe.

CECOP were also represented in the ICA Expo, where CICOPA had a stand thanks to the Argentinean cooperative movement that could not attend to the event. The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), Co-operatives UK and the Co-operative Group organized the events bringing cooperatives together from all around the world.